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The last 60, no the last 360 days have handed me hurdle upon hurdle. Break upon break. I’m not saying others don’t have it worse than I. I’m just dealing with what has past, and looking forward thinking of what it has taught me.

When I saw this on Pinterest it spoke to me like nothing has in a while.

Instead of looking at the wounds as ugly scars to be hidden, I now look at them as the wounds that have created a more beautiful soul.

One who is more thoughtful. One who is more choosy in phrasing a request, or a correction. One who isn’t ashamed of what I’ve gone through.

I’ve thought about the power of my words to uplift and heal, or tear down and harm.

Sorry isn’t enough, neither is holding a grudge. But The One who put us together can, through the beauty of forgiveness make us more beautiful for being broken.

What are you doing to let go and be put back together in a more beautiful way?

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I normally don’t find myself feeling poetic over tea.
Maybe it is the relief at having the estate sale behind me.
Maybe it was the bitter sweet sensation of seeing my mother’s house empty.
It was as if army ants had marched through and stripped it bare.
Just leaving behind the bones, and debris.
The cupboards bare, the closets open, all of the stuff and accumulation gone in less than 48 hours.

So on my Sunday afternoon, I set the kettle. Took some comfort in the routine of picking out my cup, and choosing something soothing.

Sitting still, sipping my tea
Breathing in the fragrance
It was like being in the sunshine on an early spring day
Both relaxing and enjoyable.

To say my mother had “two hands full” is an understatement. The woman had stuff for days. Not that she “toiled” overmuch for anything. She had overflowing abundance. Now what?

What happens to this life of accumulation, and stuff?

In less than a week, these treasures will all be gone. Either to an astute bargain hunter, or to a charity to bless someone in need. Either way, it is going to be gone.

Myself, I have no desire for any of it. Sometimes I even resent the stuff, and the room it takes up and the work it is going to take to empty the house.

This Uber-Abundance has me re-evaluating my life, my priorities, and my needs. Each purchase I have made since I started cleaning out my mom’s attic, I evaluate very closely. I go through my closets and mark my “stuff” for the charity bin.

I realize that where some people can live with “two hands full”, that isn’t what I can do. It is time to greatly simplify. That is what makes me happy.

If I have one hand free, maybe I can do more to lift someone else with it.

Today I am grateful for simple things, new accounts, kind words, sending smiles to strangers in the airport, and lightening the load.

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It may be mid-January, so I am running late. All the more reason for my “word” for this year.

Grace for difficulties
Grace for relationships
Grace for working hard
Grace for sleeping well at night
Grace for growing older
Grace for accepting things I can’t change
Grace for speaking clearly
Grace for balancing family, friends, and work

Grace makes everything flow better. There will be difficulty, there will be joy.

2015 will be my year for embracing Grace while I continue to cultivate Gratitude.

Cheers my friends!

If you have defined a “word” for the upcoming year, please share it! I’d love to hear.